Closure assembly

ABSTRACT

A single-piece closure for a container having an inner cap substantially concentrically located with a larger diameter outer cap, and a relatively thin flexible membrane sandwiched between the caps so that the outer cap can move relative to the inner cap. The container has an opening with threads located closest to the opening and a ring with a sawblade-like periphery located proximate the threads. The inner cap has a skirt with mating threads on the interior surface of the skirt. The treads on the inner cap&#39;s skirt mate with the treads on the container so that the cap can seal the opening on the container. The outer cap also has a skirt with a plurality of engagement means on the inner surface of the outer cap&#39;s skirt that are designed to cooperate with the sawblade ring on the container. The closure is applied to the container by twisting it onto the container so that the threads of the inner cap mate with the threads of the container. When the closure is screwed onto the container, the engagement means slide over and eventually lock into position about the sawblade-shaped ring. The closure can be released by depressing the outer cap (which moves axially and independently with respect to the inner cap thereby moving the engagement means below the saw-shaped ring and unlocking the closure) while simulataneously twisting the cap.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefits under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 60/518,575 filed Nov. 10, 2003, titled,“Alley Flexible Membrane Closure Technology and Child Resistant Closureand Senior Friendly” in the name of Kenneth A. Alley.

U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/518,575 filed Nov. 10, 2003, ishereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to child-resistant closures and,more specifically, to a specialized closure mechanism that restrictsaccess by children to the contents of a container. Unlike otherchild-resistant closures the present invention is a single-piece closurethat incorporates living hinges and a flexible membrane that providesmulti-plane operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Child-resistant closures are very important for the safety of children;they provide a physical means for denying access to the contents of acontainer by a child or other person who cannot physically manipulatethe cap or who cannot determine the proper sequence of manipulations. Achild's lack of strength, manual dexterity, or thinkingprocesses/experience deters access to the contents of the container.

There are presently many different child-resistant closure designs. Ofthe most common closures, those which have proven to work well are capswhich require two or more concurrent motions in order to open them. Forexample, one such design is the “push-and-turn” closure. Generally, suchclosures can only be opened by simultaneously pushing downward on thecap while turning it. These cap designs tend to work well becausechildren lack the strength, cognitive ability, dexterity and/or motorskills to make the required motions simultaneously.

Push- and turn closures utilize a ramp and lug assembly wherein a lugmust disengage the ramp and then slide “down” the ramp. There arenumerous two-piece and/or multiple piece closure designs that rely on aramp and lug. Essentially the closure comprises an inner cap and anouter cap which are rotateably attached to one another; that is, aninner cap and outer cap are concentrically located and each can rotateaxially with respect to the other cap. A plurality of lugs on one capproject towards a plurality of corresponding ramps on the opposite cap,thereby engaging each other when turned in a fastening direction suchthat the two caps rotate in opposite directions with respect to eachother. When removed, the lugs will slip without the addition of adownward force to counteract the tendency of slipping over the opposingramp. An example of this approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,206,216 issued to Stalions on Mar. 27, 2001.

In addition, single-piece child-resistant closures have been developed.For example U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,035 issued to McLelland on Jan. 2, 2001teaches a closure cap for use in combination with a container outletconfigured with a child-resistant feature, involving a pair of abutmentprojections formed as part of the container outlet and a pair ofabutment ribs formed as part of the closure cap. In McLelland's design,the abutments and corresponding ribs are offset, therefore improving theprior art of similar single-piece design. (See, for example U.S. Pat.No. 3,989,152 which issued Nov. 2, 1976 to Juilian, child-resistantlocking means are provided as part of a twist-action cap for acontainer, the locking means having two cooperating parts 180 degreesfrom one another.)

McLelland teaches that the upper and lower teeth of a young child, whenplaced around the diameter of the closure, are roughly 180 degrees apartand accordingly would likely be aligned with the oppositely-disposedchild-resistant features on the closure. It is therefore a possibilitythat a young child could unintentionally release the abutment orengagement of the closure from the container when using the teeth to tryand remove the closure from the container. There are numerousimprovements and child-resistant closures that rely on the multiple, andor the single-piece systems, although they all have one thing in common;they rely on pressing inward on the side wall of the closure (or a tab)to bypass an abutment or they utilize a ramp and slide mechanism (twocap systems) that engages to operate the system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, incorporates a totally new feature that consistof a movable and flexible membrane and living hinges. The followinginvention also provides a unique single-piece closure that operates inmultiple planes and simultaneously takes advantage of the proven method(a two-step sequenced removal procedure) to assure child resistance andsimultaneously making it senior friendly. The following invention isalso distinctively unique from any art therefore, providing additionaladvantages and qualities.

Unlike other Child-resistant Closures the present invention is asingle-piece closure that incorporates living hinges and or a flexibleand moveable membrane that provides multi-plane function and operationwithin the scope/use of a single-piece closure.

A unique and great advantage of this invention is the incorporation of aflexible and movable membrane feature (technology). This membranetechnology provides the means to manufacture a single-piece closure,(unlike all of the other caps) that take advantage of the well proven,two-step (push-and-turn), screw-thread child-resistant closures thathave been successful in preventing young children from accessing thecontents of a container. The prior art requires a two-piece cap (a capinside of a cap) in-order to utilized the push-and-turn concurrentmotions.

The present invention consists of a distinctively unique closure cap anda container with a distinctive neck finish that communicates with thecap/closure to provide a child-resistant feature.

The closure cap of the present invention incorporates a flexible,movable membrane that is built into the closure cap. The introduction ofa movable, flexible membrane provides the means to manipulate (in avertical plane) the closures features with respect to a container'sfeatures.

(Note: A flexible membrane could be adapted to the side wall of aclosure as well, providing a movable membrane in the horizontaldirection as well)

The closure cap of the preferred embodiment consists of an inner skirtand an outer skirt. The inner diameter of the inner skirt has means tocommunicate with a container's threaded screw neck finish. The outerskirt includes means that are designed to communicate with thecontainer's child-resistant features.

Both the outer and inner skirts are connected by a flexible, movablemembrane that is built into the closure cap surface (top-mainly flat).The flexible membrane forms a bridge between the inner skirt that isattached to the container's screw neck and extends outward towards theouter skirt. The flexible membrane may be tapered and angled slightlyupward. (Note: the angle may be upward, downward or straight, dependingon the desired direction and range of motion required to communicatewith a specific container.)

The inner skirt is closed off at the top end forming a screw neckclosure over a container's exit/entry port. In the preferred embodimentthe inner skirt will be fixed or attached to a container and thereforeunable to move in the vertical direction unless the closure is rotatedto unscrew it. The outer skirt is attached to the inner skirt by aflexible, movable membrane. The membrane is designed to bend and or flexwhen a downward (or upward) force is applied to the outer skirt. Theouter skirt will move relative to the inner skirt. (Note: Depending onwhich skirt is fixed the other will move relative to it when a force isapplied. In the preferred embodiment, at this time the outer skirt willmove relative to the fixed inner skirt. Although, it could be desired tofix the outer skirt to a container and flex the inner diameter of a capfor example a pump or valve gate or plug, etc.) A closure may also bedesigned to incorporate more than one flexible membrane and/or amembrane that operates in the x, y and z planes.

At the lower end of the outer skirt are specially designed abutmentfeatures that are circumferentially positioned around the interior ofthe outer skirts inner diameter. These abutment features are designed tocommunicate with the child-resistant features on the container.

The abutment features include tapered and rounded leading edge surfaceson all of the abutments sides with the exception of the back edge/end(when rotating clockwise). The back surface of the abutment features aredesigned to lock or engage onto the container's child-resistant featureswhen rotating the closure counterclockwise (off).

The container's child-resistant features consist of circular sawbladegeometry. The feature may be built into the lower portion of thecontainer's neck finish thus, below the screw threads or may be adapteddirectly into the shoulder of a container. Note: In the case of anon-threaded container finish the flexible membrane may still beutilized and the abutment features on both the closure and container maybe designed so that they lock when pushed and turned in one directionand unlock when pushed and turned in the opposite direction. The keyfeature is the flexible membrane, thus the container's finish and thetype of abutment feature may be changed to fit many different bottleconfigurations (for example a non-screw-neck prescription vial).

The container's child-resistant features/geometry are designed to allowthe abutment features of the closure/cap to slide over the container'sgeometry (sawblade feature) when rotated in the clockwise (on)direction. When rotating the closure in the counterclockwise direction(unscrewing) the back edge of the closures abutment feature will engagewith the sawblade geometry of the container's child-resistant featuresand prevent movement.

In order to unscrew the closure, the outer skirt of the closure, must bepushed downward (or upward) thus, flexing the flexible, movable membranebetween the inner and outer skirts and simultaneous moving the abutmentfeatures of the closure with respect the fixed container'schild-resistant features.

In the static position the child-resistant features of the containerwill be aligned with the closures abutment features. When a force isapplied to the outer skirt of the closure, the child-resistant featureswill disengage from one another and rotation is permitted. When theforce is removed the skirt will automatically reposition itself, thus,re-engaging the child resist features of both the closure and container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description,may be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of thespecification. The drawings serve to explain the principles of theinvention and illustrate embodiments of the present invention that arepreferred at the time the application was filed. It should be understoodhowever that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangementsand instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional side view of the child-resistant apparatusassembly, including closure (flex cap) and container;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional side view of the child-resistant closure(flex cap) shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective cross sectional side view of the child-resistantclosure (flex cap), shown in FIG. 2, in the downward flexed position;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the container shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective side view of an alternative shape containershown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective side view of another alternative embodiment ofthe child-resistant closure (flex cap), and container shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 represents an alternative embodiment of a closure with theflexible, movable, bendable membrane technology adapted;

FIG. 8 represents an alternative embodiment of a closure with theflexible, movable, bendable membrane technology adapted. This particularmembrane has a bellows shape extending upwards from the top section; and

FIG. 9 represents an alternative embodiment of a closure with twoseparate flexible, movable, bendable membranes; a straighter membrane atthe top surface of the closure and a bellows shaped membrane built intothe outer skirt extending downward.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A single-piece closure for a container having an inner cap substantiallyconcentrically located with a larger diameter outer cap, and arelatively thin flexible membrane sandwiched between the caps so thatthe outer cap can move relative to the inner cap.

The container has an opening with threads located closest to the openingand a ring with a sawblade-like periphery located proximate the thread.The inner cap has a skirt with mating threads on the interior surface ofthe skirt.

The threads on the inner cap's skirt mate with the threads on thecontainer so that the cap can seal the opening of the container.

The outer cap also has a skirt. The outer skirt is slightly longer thanthe length of the skirt on the inner cap. A plurality of engagementmeans on the inner surface of the outer cap's skirt are designed tooperate with the sawblade ring on the container to prevent the closurefrom accidentally opening.

The closure is applied to the container by twisting it onto thecontainer so that the threads of the inner cap mate with the threads ofthe container. When the closure is completely screwed onto thecontainer, the engagement means slide over and eventually lock intoposition about the sawblade-shaped ring. The closure can be released bydepressing the outer cap (which moves axially with respect to the innercap thereby moving the engagement means below the saw-shaped ring andunlocking the closure with respect to the container) whilesimultaneously twisting the closure. In other words, the flexiblemembrane forces the inner cap to rotate with the outer cap but allowsthe outer cap to move axially independent of the inner cap.

The closure cap of the present invention incorporates a flexible,movable membrane that is built into the closure cap. The introduction ofa movable, flexible membrane provides the means to manipulate (in avertical plane) the closure's features with respect to a container'sfeatures.

The movable, flexible, malleable bendable membrane may be designed toincorporate numerous geometries. Such as: Membrane may be curvedupwards, downwards, or a combination of angles including perforations orother unique geometries (bellow shaped) in-order to control the movementof one of the closure's skirts with respect to the other. The wallthickness may be adjusted to control how the membrane flexes and or tocontrol the bending qualities of said membrane. There could be more thanone membrane or a series of membranes to control motion and range of theclosure with respect to a container of child-resistant features. (Note:A flexible membrane could be adapted to the side wall of a closure aswell, providing a movable membrane in the horizontal direction. Thisparticular membrane could be adapted to control the closure's lockingmeans to a particular container).

The flexible membrane built directly into a skirt side wall may also beadapted to provide a range of motion. (For example a bellows shapedskirt.)

A unique and great advantage of this invention is the incorporation of aflexible and movable membrane feature. This membrane technology providesthe means to manufacture a single-piece closure, (unlike all of theother caps) that take advantage of the well proven, two-step(push-and-turn) screw-thread child-resistant closures that have beensuccessful in preventing young children access to the contents of acontainer. The prior art requires a two-piece cap (a cap inside of acap) in-order to utilized the push-and-turn concurrent motions. Saidmembrane may be a adapted to a multiple piece closure as well.

Both the outer and inner skirts are connected by a flexible, movablemembrane that is built into the closure cap surface (top-mainly flat).The flexible membrane forms a bridge between the inner skirt that isattached to the container's screw neck and extends outward towards theouter skirt. The flexible membrane may be tapered and angled slightlyupward. (Note: the angle may be upward, downward or straight, dependingon the desired direction and range of motion required to communicatewith a specific container).

The membrane is designed to bend and or flex when a downward (or upward)force is applied to the outer skirt. The outer skirt will move relativeto the inner skirt.

(Note: Depending on which skirt is fixed the other will move relative toit when a force is applied. In the preferred embodiment, at this timethe outer skirt will move relative to the fixed inner skirt. Although,it could be desired to fix the outer skirt to a container and flex theinner diameter of a cap for example a pump, valve gate or plug, etc.) Aclosure may also be designed to incorporate more than one flexiblemembrane and/or a membrane that operates in the x, y and z planes. Note:In the case of a non-threaded container finish the flexible membrane maystill be utilized and the abutment features on both the closure andcontainer may be designed so that they lock when pushed and turned inone direction and unlock when pushed and turned in the oppositedirection. The key feature is the flexible membrane, thus thecontainer's finish and the type of abutment feature may be changed tofit many different bottle configurations (for example, a non-screw-neckprescription vial).

Referring now to FIG. 1, a cross-sectional side view of achild-resistant apparatus 5 in accordance with the present invention isshown. Child-resistant apparatus 5 includes a closure (flex cap) 20 andcontainer 10. Container 10 has child-resistant features 13 and athreaded screw neck finish 11. Closure (flex cap) 20 consists of aninner skirt 21 and an outer skirt 23. Inner skirt 21 includes a threadedscrew neck finish 29 that communicates with threaded finish 11 ofcontainer 10. Top section 27 of closure (flex cap) 20 is closed offthus, forming a seal when closure (flex cap) 20 is attached to container10. Extending outward from top section 27 is a flexible, movable,bendable membrane 25. At the outer end of membrane 25, outer skirt 23extends downward.

Both the outer skirt 23 and inner skirt 21 are connected by flexible,movable membrane 25. The flexible membrane 25 forms a bridge between theinner skirt 21 and outer skirt 23. At the lower end of the outer skirt23, are specially designed abutment features 30 that arecircumferentially positioned around the interior of outer skirt 23 innerdiameter. Abutments 30 have features that are designed to communicatewith the child-resistant features 13 on container 10.

Now referring to FIG. 2, a cross sectional side view of thechild-resistant closure 20 (flex cap) is illustrated. Inner skirt 21 ofclosure 20 has threaded finish 29 thus, providing means to screw closure20 onto container 10.

Referring to FIG. 4 (a detailed top view of the child-resistant features13 of container 10 is illustrated. When closure 20 is rotated in theclockwise direction onto container 10, abutments 30, leading edges 34and 36 will slide freely over the child-resistant features 13, surfaces17 and 19 of container 10. Top cover 27 of closure 20, will sealcontents of container 10 when closure 20 is securely attached andabutments 30 of closure 20 will be aligned in the vertical plane withchild-resistant feature 13 of container 20.

In this position, trailing edges 38 of abutments 30 of closure 20, willengage the flat surfaces 17 (sawblade-teeth design) of thechild-resistant feature 13 of container 10. The closure (flex cap)abutments 30, trailing back edges 38 form an engagement-lock with theflat surface 17 (sawblade-teeth design) of the child-resistant feature13 of container 20 that cannot slip. Closure 20 is therefore, unable tounscrew in the counterclockwise direction thus, creating achild-resistant package.

In the static position the child-resistant features 13 of the container20 will be aligned with the closures abutment features 30 and theclosure 20 cannot be screwed off from the container. When a force isapplied (i.e., a downward or axial force) to the outer skirt of closure20, the child-resistant features between both the closure and containerwill disengage from one another and counter-clockwise rotation ispermitted. When the force is removed, the skirt will automaticallyreposition itself, thus, re-engaging the child resist features of boththe closure and container.

In order to unscrew the closure, the outer skirt of the closure, must bepushed downward (or pulled upward) thus, flexing and/or bending theflexible, movable membrane between the inner and outer skirts, whichwill also, simultaneously move the abutment features of the closure withrespect to the fixed container's child-resistant features (i.e., thesawblade ring).

Referring now to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, to remove closure 20 from container10, abutments 30 must be disengaged from the child-resistant surfaces 17and simultaneously the closure must then be un-screwed in thecounterclockwise direction. (Note: The flexing action could be adjustedby controlling the wall thickness and specific geometry of the flexiblemembrane and stress points 33 of membrane 25.)

A downward force applied onto outer skirt 23 of closure 20, willflex/bend the flexible, movable membrane 25 of closure 20. Membrane 25will simulate a living hinge between the inner and outer skirts ofclosure 20. (Note: The introduction of a movable, flexible membrane 25provides the means to manipulate (in a vertical plane) the closuresabutments 30, features with respect to the container's child-resistantfeatures 13.)

Simultaneously, as the outer skirt 23 is manipulated in the downwarddirection, abutments 30 will also move downward, thus mis-aligning theabutments 30 with respect to the child-resistant features 13 ofcontainer 20. In this position, the closure (flex cap) is permitted torotate in the counter clockwise direction. As closure 20 is unscrewed,the leading edge 32 of abutments 30 has a sufficient taper that willslide freely (vertically) over the container's child-resistant feature13, edges 17 and 19. Eventually the closure abutments 30 will bepositioned above the container's child-resistant feature 13 (in thestatic position) and the cap may freely be removed.

FIG. 5 illustrates another embodiment of the closure assembly utilizinga flexible membrane in accordance with the present invention. Container50 has child-resistant features 13 and a threaded screw neck 11. Theentry/exit port of container 50 may be designed to accept a dropper tipplug.

(Note: The container's child-resistant features may also be modified towork with a modified neck finish such as a non-threaded bottle neck. Insuch a case, the closure (flex cap) would still include a flexiblemembrane although, the cap would be pushed onto the container androtated a partial turn until the closures abutments (modified) were tolock onto the container's modified child-resistant features. Whenremoved, the closures outer skirt would be pushed and reversed rotationa partial turn, thus unlocking to closure).

In FIG. 6 container 50, has adapted a dropper tip plug to entry/exitport 15. A modified alternative embodiment of closure 60 has inner skirt21 and outer skirt 23 as previously described in FIG. 2. Closure 60incorporates flexible membrane 25, container child-resistant features 13and closure abutment features 30.

FIG. 7 represents an alternative embodiment of a closure with theflexible, movable, bendable membrane technology adapted. In thisparticular embodiment, flexible membrane 25 provides means for thecenter portion of closure 70 to be moved in the vertical direction.Outer skirt 23 has a threaded inner diameter 29 that communicates with acontainer threaded screw finish. Outer skirt 23 is fixed in thisparticular embodiment. When a downward force is applied on the center ofthe outer top portion of closure 70 the top portion will move downward.Child-resistant feature 30 of closure 70 communicates with container'schild-resistant features and or a seal plug 77 (pump-valve, etc). Toremove child-resistant feature 30 from engaging with child-resistantfeatures of a container, a finger slot 79 is adapted to the top portionof closure 70. An upward force will disengage closure mechanism and freerotation is permitted.

FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a closure with theflexible, movable, bendable membrane technology in accordance with thepresent invention. This particular closure 80 incorporates membrane 81(bellows shape) that extends upwards from the top section 83 of closure80. When a downward force is applied onto the outer skirt 82 theabutment features 84 (detail not shown) will disengage from containerchild-resistant features and counter-clockwise rotation will bepermitted. In this embodiment, inner skirt 81 has a threaded screw neckfinish that attaches to a container. The bellows shaped membrane isexaggerated for descriptive purposes. In order to mold this type ofmembrane the bellows shaped membrane may be a threaded design to removefrom the mold. It may also be mold with a straight wall with acontrolled wall thickness, thus causing it to bend when compressed.

FIG. 9 represents an alternative embodiment of closure 90 incorporatingtwo separate flexible, movable, bendable membranes. A relativelystraight membrane 95 at the top surface of closure 90 and a bellowsshaped membrane 94 built into outer skirt 92 extending downward. Thisparticular embodiment has an inner skirt 93 that attaches to a containerand an outer skirt 92 that is designed to engage or bottom out on acontainer's neck finish bead when a downward force is applied onto outerskirt 92. As a downward force is applied onto the outer skirt 92, both,flexible membrane 95 moves along with bellows shaped membrane 94. Asmembrane 94 compresses, child-resistant features 91 located on the innerdiameter of outer skirt will communicate with the container'schild-resistant features, thus disengaging and allowing rotation.

Although this invention has been described and illustrated by referenceto specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat various changes and modifications may be made which clearly fallwithin the scope of this invention. The present invention is intended tobe protected broadly within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A container assembly for storing and securing a product, the assemblycomprising: a container for storing the product, the container having athreaded open end; a ledge that projects radially outward from the outersurface of the container proximate said open end, the perimeter of theledge having a sawblade shape; a one-piece closure for closing the openend of the container, the closure having an inner top portionconcentrically located with an outer top portion, the inner top portionhaving a smaller diameter than the outer top portion; an outer skirtdepending from the perimeter of the outer top portion; an inner skirtdepending from the perimeter of the inner top portion, said inner skirthaving threads that mate with said threaded open end of the container,the inner skirt being slightly shorter in length than the length of theouter skirt; a flexible, movable membrane positioned between at leastboth top portions, said membrane connecting said inner top portion tosaid outer top portion so that when the outer top portion is rotated,the inner top portion also rotates, but when axial pressure is placed onsaid outer top portion, the outer top portion and outer skirt move in anaxial direction with respect to the inner top portion and inner skirt;an engagement means attached to the inner side of said outer skirt andthat communicates with the sawblade portion of the ledge for securingand preventing the opening of the container assembly by preventing theclosure from unscrewing from the container; said engagement portionreleases from the sawblade portion of the ledge when axial pressure isapplied to the closure so that when the closure is rotated with respectto the container, the threads on the inner skirt are able to unscrewfrom the threads of the open end.
 2. The container assembly of claim 1wherein said engagement portion is a plurality of lugs.
 3. The containerassembly of claim 2 further comprising a flexible membrane skirt thatdepends from the top membrane and positioned between said inner skirtand said outer skirt for improving the communication between said innertop portion and said outer top portion, and for allowing a degree ofmovement in the horizontal direction for the outer top portion and outerskirt portion and inner skirt.